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Jul 27, 2023 Web Exclusive By Kat Ramkumar

Tessa Violet wouldn’t be Tessa Violet without her notable yellow bob and jaunty pop beats overlain with lyrics of self-empowerment as relics from bad breakups. All in one actress, model, vlogger (meekakitty on YouTube), and musician, Violet has been in the business long enough to understand what finite equation makes her music successful. She’s gone mathematical.

The album cover of her new LP, MY GOD!, is ethereal, depicting Violet lounging donned in sheer fabrics of pink with an elaborately bejeweled crown atop her head. She looks akin to a Greek goddess, daring the listener to come closer to hear her secrets.

The album opens with “BAD BITCH.” While it’s an ode to Violet and her accomplishments since her last LP, it incorporates a repetitive progression of chords that can be found in any other recent pop chart topper. 2021 saw an influx in artists deriving melodies from older nursery rhymes, and you’re able to hear some nostalgic chimes near the end of the track.

The title track, “MY GOD!,” goes back to earlier Tessa Violet music with a bridge that crescendos into a catchy chorus. Violet is notorious for overlaying her choruses with nondescript backing vocals and this track was no exception. This theme makes itself evident in tracks such as “Breakdown” and “I Don’t Know Who I Am Without You.”

Violet’s “YES MOM” had the spotlight on TikTok for a couple months as people all over the world edited perfect transitions into their videos along to the beat. Keeping the motif set by “BAD BITCH,” this track is a love letter to her success once more.

This upbeat LP is occasionally interjected with songs such as “Kitchen Song,” “Again, Again,” and “When the Curtain Falls” that take a step back from loud vocals, settling into a more acoustic, backseat sound. Tessa Violet knows her self worth in this album and she’s got more ways than one of showing it. Violet’s “You Are Not My Friend” embodies what I like to call “Olivia Rodrigo-ification.” It’s clearly pop with elements of punk seen through minimal shredding with a chorus that bursts into a spiel of self-sufficiency.

It’s displayed so prominently in this album, but Violet is clear about one thing—her success does not depend on anyone else but her. She knows that she’s an IT girl, and she’s here to climb to the top. (www.tessa-violet.com)

Author rating: 6/10